Everybody Works on Monday
by Random Guise
Summary: Based on the 1993 movie "Dave". Dave Kovik has been a double for the President of the United States, but in reality is the owner of a temporary agency. At the end of the movie he is running for city council when the former first lady shows up; what happens next? I don't own these characters, and I've never been the president of anything.


**A/N: This short takes place about a year after the ending of the 1993 movie "Dave".**

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Everybody Works on Mondays

"Are you sure you don't want to run for re-election?" Alice Waterford asked her boss while both stood in the work office.

Dave Kovik, the owner of Kovik's Temps agency and a Georgetown city council member, shook his head as he smiled. "Nope. One round and I'm out of there."

"Have you told Ellen yet?"

"Are you kidding? She's the _first_ one I told. You're only the second. I haven't even told myself yet." The Ellen in question was Ellen Mitchell, former first lady of the United States when her husband Bill Mitchell was in office. Although how she ended up involved with the owner of a temp agency was something of a semi-secret that only a few knew.

While in office as well as before he got there, Bill Mitchell had been a politician on the rise and a philanderer on the side. Officially Ellen didn't know about the other women, but in fact she had become aware of some of the liaisons. Swallowing her hurt, she continued on - feeling that the good she was able to do as a governor's wife and then as first lady was greater than her own happiness. Bill's handler Bob Alexander knew it, and promoted the "happily married in public" facade for his gain as well, ultimately becoming Chief of Staff and with aspirations for the presidency himself. Away and out of the public's eye, Ellen and Bill lead completely different lives.

When the president became incapacitated with a stroke during an intimate interlude with a staffer, Bob and Communications Director Alan Reed hired Dave to impersonate the president while the actual president lay in a vegetative state. Dave had been found while he did a publicity stunt for a local business, impersonating the president; his closeness of appearance made the job easy. The plan had been to frame Vice President Gary Nance, have Dave as the president appoint Bob to replace Nance and then swap the real president in and use the 25th Amendment to declare Bob the new president. Everyone was fooled except Dave, who came to find that he could actually do some good helping people while acting as the president, and Ellen who came to admire the man impersonating her husband. Bob tried to frame the president as well only to have the tables turned when Dave, with the help of Alan Reed, provided evidence that Bob had been guilty as well while also clearing Nance of any wrongdoing. He then faked another stroke and substituted the real president before walking away to return to his life. Ellen had shown up after her husband had died after five months in a coma, and reunited with Dave just as he was running for city council.

"No Alice, one term was enough. I like helping people; that's my job here. I really thought I'd be able to help others by becoming a city council member. But you know what I found out? I can help more people working right here than sitting on some city council telling people how many dogs they're allowed to have in an apartment."

"I know Dave, it's not like you're president or something."

"No," Dave said with more than a bit of irony "it isn't. No, there's just too much politics in...er...politics. I know the man who is president now started on a city council, but Nance has what it takes to get things done because people believe in him. He's a good man."

"Not liking politics didn't stop you from hitting on a first lady" Ellen said as she entered the office, intentionally making fun of the man. Behind her, Secret Service agent Duane Stevenson followed and closed the door after he entered. He was wearing a sweater vest with a tie.

"Oh? Which first lady was that? I lose track you know..." Dave kidded back.

"Perhaps this will refresh your memory" she said as she kissed him.

"Oh yeah, that one."

"Don't let him fool you, Alice; Dave here is a good man too" she continued. "Yeah, he does look like my husband to some degree I have to admit, but he won me over by his personality. And he doesn't have gray hair. I just wish I had been here to see him ride that hog when he was impersonating my husband."

"I'm glad you didn't" Dave said, relaxing.

"I'll show you the video later" Alice giggled, turning and going back to work at her desk.

"You never told me there was video" Ellen admonished.

Dave slipped into his Bill Mitchell impression, complete with gestures as he said stiffly "I never said there was evidence...and I never said there wasn't." He loosened up. "Sorry, it just slipped out. I haven't done him for a while."

"That makes two of us" she whispered in his ear. Then out loud she continued "I fully support whatever decision Dave makes. This may come as a shock to you, but I've had enough politics to last me the rest of my life."

"Won't you come into my office madam, and I'll see what I can..."

The front door opened and a man hesitated before walking in. Removing his hat, both recognized the man at once; Dave almost called out his name but barely stopped himself. The man looked over the room, made eye contact with Dave and Ellen and even Duane, and walked up to Alice's desk.

"Hello, my name is Alan Reed and I'm...looking for work" he introduced himself.

"Certainly Mr. Reed, we can help with that. I have some forms for you to fill out so we can get an idea of your..."

"I'll take this one, Alice" Dave interrupted. "Mr. Reed is it? Why don't you step into my office with my partner here and we'll see what we can do for you." He walked over to his office door and motioned for Ellen and Alan to enter.

Alice watched as all three filed in and Dave shut the door behind them, only to give Reed a hug immediately after. "Boss sure gets on close terms with his clients fast" she muttered to herself before returning to her work.

Inside everyone took a seat in the cramped office. "Alan, it's good to see you again" Dave opened. "Are you, ah, well..."

"A free man?" Alan offered.

"Well, yes. We couldn't protect you from all of the fallout from the scandal, but I know they went easy on you because you turned over the evidence even though it included you in it. I wouldn't..._we_ wouldn't...be back here now if it wasn't for you."

"Thanks. I may have done some things that I'm not proud of, but I wasn't going to let Bob frame Nance and you for something while he got off scot-free. I got put into a minimum security honor farm for six months and they cut me loose. Bob stayed quiet about the switch; the only thing I can figure is that most people wouldn't believe him, and if they did it would have only gone worse for him."

"So what are you doing now?" Ellen asked.

Alan fidgeted in his chair. "I, ah, wasn't lying when I said I was looking for work. Thanks to my high-profile _mea culpa_, no one in Washington will touch me now. I guess it will look bad to even be working with me now; I probably would have to move to Idaho or something to find work again, but I like it here. When I heard you were on the city council I thought I'd check it out. Need a Communications Director?"

"Alice runs the office pretty well; I don't want to get her mad by hiring someone else to answer phones or mail."

"What about your campaign? I could help with the next one."

"There isn't going to be a next one, Alan" Ellen explained. "Dave is going to give up politics after one term." Alan looked over at Dave for confirmation.

"She's right. I love helping people, but I can do more good here than on a city council. It might be 'grass roots' as they say, but that's where I want to be. Not in some council chamber somewhere," he waved "or behind a desk in some oval office" he winked.

"Fair enough. Well, it didn't hurt to try. Say, did you two ever hitch up?"

"Nah" Dave said as he looked over and smiled at Ellen. "I tried it once, but it didn't take."

"Maybe you didn't find the right person" Alan responded, nodding at Ellen. "Don't rule it out."

"Do you know any accounting?" Dave asked.

"No."

"Well, that lets Murray off the hook." Murray Blum was a good friend of Dave's and a CPA; his accounting business was often the reluctant recipient of a worker on one of Dave's "everybody works on Monday" schemes.

"Wait" Ellen interjected. "Alan, you're good in communications, right?"

"I like to think so."

"And Dave, you like helping people find jobs."

"Of course. It'd be kind of dumb to have a temp agency whose sworn duty is to _not_ get people jobs. 'Come on down and stay unemployed!' No, I don't see that working very well."

"I've been around government longer than you - you'd be surprised at some of the things out there. But I'm getting sidetracked; why not expand your agency?"

"Expand? You mean get a bigger office?"

"Why not offices?" she asked, emphasizing the plural. "Have a chain of employment agencies. Maybe some specialize, maybe not. But with more offices, you could hire more people."

"I'm busy enough as it is" Dave considered. "I don't think I could spread myself across several offices."

"No, I don't think you could either" she agreed.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"But with a specialist in communication you might. Someone to help coordinate. Get the word out. Network with employers. There won't be any press conferences, but you might get an interview in the weekend section to talk up the business. Maybe talk with the Chamber of Commerce."

Alan started to brighten. "I know a few newspaper people. Some TV people too. Hell, now that I think about it I know a lot of people. And if I don't know 'em, I know where to find 'em." Alan and Ellen both looked at Dave.

"What day is it?" Dave asked.

"Monday" Ellen grinned. "Everybody works."

"Well, to get around to different offices I think I'm going to need a car. I can get something small from Hank Durenberger; I think the man owes me after I rode that pig for him."

Alan scrunched his brow in confusion.

"We'll both watch the video later" Ellen assured him.

The End

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**A/N: "Dave" was a movie that I enjoyed immensely; it had humor AND it had heart. I just wanted to take it a little further and, quite frankly, get Dave _out_ of politics and back with people.**


End file.
